The present invention relates to forming a continuous sheet of molten, moldable, or plasticized material, especially a food product such as cheese. More specifically it is directed to forming a sheet of cheese having precisely controllable dimensions of width and thickness. As used herein, the term "cheese" is intended to embrace natural cheese, processed cheese, cheese food products, imitation cheese, and the like.
Machines for forming a continuous sheet of moldable plasticized material are well known in the art, and have been used to form a continuous sheet of cheese. One such arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,817. A hot cheese mass is extruded onto a belt upstream of a spreader roller. A reservoir of cheese accumulates immediately upstream of the spreader roller, and the combined movements of the belt and the spreader roller draw the cheese between the belt and spreader roller, spreading the cheese in a thin layer. This sheet of cheese is then carried further downstream by the belt for additional processing.
Another arrangement for forming a continuous sheet of cheese utilizes a manifold in conjunction with a conventional, casting line, such as the Natec Chill Roll or the Hart Casting Line, both of which are commercially available. Such casting lines comprise one or more endless belts, a series of rollers, and often a cooling agent which accelerates the cooling of the material as it advances upon the endless belt or belts. Molten cheese is extruded through the orifices of the manifold directly onto the advancing belt of the casting line. The
orifices of the manifold are arranged and the consistency of the cheese is controlled such that the molten cheese spreads upon the advancing belt to form a continuous sheet of cheese. This sheet of cheese is cooled upon and carried further downstream by the belt for additional processing.
The disadvantage of forming a continuous sheet of cheese by these and other present methods rests in the necessarily limited ability to control the thickness and width of the sheet of cheese. Neither of the above described methods provides precise control over the dimensions of the cheese. The width of the sheet of cheese is not always uniform, resulting in a sheet of cheese whose width may be greater or less than the width of the advancing belt.
Precise control over the dimensions of the sheet of cheese will eliminate waste, appearing in the form of either trim on the edges of the advancing belt which must be cut off or areas of the belt which are not being efficiently utilized. Likewise, precise control over the thickness of cheese is necessarily limited, especially where a manifold is used to deposit a layer of cheese upon an advancing belt. Precise control over the dimensions of the cheese will also enhance further processing of the cheese, such as slicing or shredding of the cheese downstream of the casting line.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for processing cheese and other food products with more precise control over the dimensions of the product than presently available means.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an arrangement for processing cheese and other food products at lower temperatures than presently available means.